Out of Bounds winners announced

Jury chooses Mark Gribbon for top place

Winner: The Hard Way by Sean St. Denis was selected for the people's choice award at Out of Bounds 2012.

The Whistler Arts Council announced the winners of the 2012 Out of Bounds: Tales from the Backcountry photo competition Thursday.

The images were displayed in an exhibit at the Scotia Creek Gallery throughout October.

A panel of four professional photographers awarded Mark Gribbon top place for his photo “Shin Campos Method.” The stunning image depicts a snowboarder mid-air, launching off a cliff while wisps of snow trail behind.

“With all the amazing entries I saw in the show, I am very honoured that mine was chosen,” Gribbon says in a release. “Thanks to Shin for his timeless riding style, and the Whistler Arts Council and all the sponsors for putting on the event. It is great to see the community getting behind local artists and photographers with cool events like this one.”

The winning photo will be published in Mountain Life Magazine. Gribbon also took home $1,000. The jury made special mention of Rueben Krabbe’s “James McSkimming Waterfall” and Russell Dalby’s “Rusty Oakden.”

Sean St. Denis won first place in the Best of Show category, voted by the public, for his picture “The Hard Way.” His prize for the image — offering a unique perspective of an isolated ski trail — is a snowcat trip for two.

Cameron Hunter’s “Elias Elhardt Front 3” was voted second and Brad Slack’s photo “Joe on Plinth” won third place.

“The Out of Bounds exhibit brings together an amazing group of talented athletes and emerging photographers,” says Andrea Mueller, event coordinator at WAC. “We had a great response to the public vote this year and it’s exciting to see Whistler has an appetite for big mountain shots as well as a more journalistic approach to backcountry photography.”